L0R1DA

Hello everyone, its been a while since I've been on here, but if anyone can help me get started on this project I would be very grateful.

First off, I have an automatic 1997 I30 that is getting on in mileage and I have always been intrigued by the 4th gen Maxima guys swapping in vq35de's. Let me also quickly state that I am not trying to build a ***** to the wall drag racer here, on the contrary, I am looking to make my daily driver more powerful while retaining smoothness and overall driveability.

So here is my main question... once I source a decent motor, what should I do about the transmission? I cannot possible use my aging automatic, so my options are then swap it with the 04+ transaxle or swap to a manual. Ideally I would like to swap a 5 spd auto from an 04+ (maybe toss in a higher stall TC) in lieu of my wife driving it from time to time. If there is anyone in the NY tri-state area who can get involved with this, PM me, I will send you my phone #, otherwise I look forward to your input my friends. Thanks in advance

oldngivout

iTrader: (8)

Here are some tidbits to ponder. Give them some thought, then decide which route is best for you.

To perform the 3.5 swap along with the manual trans swap would be a massive undertaking. Not impossible, just long and difficult. You should perhaps consider just the 3.5 swap for now, run the 4-speed auto until it blows. They are cheap & plentiful.

Or, you could swap in the manual trans, get the kinks worked out, then proceed with the 3.5 swap.

Forget about the 6th Gen trans, unless you are considering a full ECU/wiring swap, which has only been done a handful of times on the A32 by seasoned pros. This will allow you to retain the VTC feature of the 3.5 as well. The catch is that the A32 ECU is not going to work for this combination.

BTW, any of these procedures will test your mechanic skills. Be prepared to call on some local Maxima enthusiasts to help you. You will also spend a bunch of money on your present car, so be sure you like it enough to get the worth out of it.

L0R1DA

Thank you for your input oldngivout!

As far as mechanical skills go I'm not too concerned, although the majority of my experience is dealing with BMWs I find that the japanese are much more user friendly in their assembly.

So the 4-speed auto will mount up flush to the 3.5 or am I going to have to pull shenanigans with the dowels or something?

I have of course considered the fact that the car is not worth much at this point, but it was my first car, I have maintained it meticulously (suspension, wheel bearings, radiator support, control arms, bushings, alternator and much more at this point lol) and I would love to turn it into a prized project worthy of passing on to my kid. Its ambitious but I would like to see it through to the end.

I imagine it is easier to perform this swap on a Maxima than the I because of all the extraneous amenities. So will the 97 ecu work with the 3.5L or do I need a 2004 I35 one?

oldngivout

iTrader: (8)

The A32 4-speed auto mates up fine to the 3.5. It's just that so few people prefer it, not much info on this choice.

Not one bit different swapping in the I30 vs. Maxima. Your drive train is identical.

My 98 ECU controls the hybrid swap I did on my I30 just fine. When I say hybrid, I am referring to using the 3.0 timing chain components on the 3.5 engine. Your 97 ECU will work fine, but the 04 I35 ECU will never work unless you swap in the entire wiring/ECU/instrument cluster from the I35 (or 3.5 Max).

You should probably spend a lot of time researching old threads in the All Motor section. This has been discussed at length there many times over.

Good luck with your decision.

L0R1DA

Thank you sir, I will indeed do some digging... but one more question pertaining to the transmission. Since it seems to me that I am keeping the old trans at this point, do you have a recommendation on where I can purchase an upgraded valve body and/or some sort of device to increase main line pressure in the transmission? If I put more power through it I don't want any of that "luxury shift" crap, fast and hard will last longer especially when combined with the ATF cooler that I have been running for the last 60k miles or so.

97flatblkMax

Whats up guys I have just gotten a 2005 3.5 motor with 55k miles on it with 5 speed auto would like to know what else would I need to get to drop it clean into my 1997 maxima
also I am in the nyc area i live in newark NJ do anyone know where I can get the 3.5 heads ported and polished would like your 2 cents on this Maxima family since my friends and I are going to be building a supercharger for it.
my friend has a 2002 3.5 clutch and im trying to do the 4th gen 3.5 auto
both supercharged.

I have read a few postings about this
from what I am understanding to make all this work flawless
i'll need the ecu clutch i was going to get a trans cooler for the transmission
what else i need to get guys to make it all work flawless?

Mr.A32ftw

iTrader: (12)